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Activating the Sleepers: Islamic State Adopts a New Strategy in Europe
SPIEGEL ^ | March 29, 2016 | Christoph Reuter in Beirut

Posted on 04/25/2016 12:25:17 PM PDT by StCloudMoose

Sleeper Cells

Testimony from deserters suggests the terror organization began establishing sleeper cells in multiple European countries early on, in Turkey in particular. According to the former IS fighters, they are made up of men who aren't on any watch lists. This enables IS to elude the vulnerability suffered by many based in Europe -- namely that they are known terrorists. The biographies of many terrorists are very similar: an early period of radicalization precedes a period of preparation just before an attack. By this point, however, many are already known to the authorities as dangerous and are subsequently often placed under surveillance. This included the Belgians who, in January 2015 wanted to attack police stations in Brussels immediately after the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Apartments, telephones and cars were bugged -- the authorities always had a clear picture of what was going on. Attacks could repeatedly be thwarted mostly because the aggressors had left behind traces. Just after the July 2005 attacks on London, a British investigator warned that investigations placed too little emphasis on terrorists acting below the security services' radar. At that time, most of the attention had been focused on "homegrown terrorists," young men who radicalized themselves without even coming into contact with the al-Qaida leadership or prominent hate preachers. This category applied to each of the four men who blew themselves up in London.

Terrorism has become more professional since then. IS' masterminds now build up sleeper cell networks from an early stage in order to attack without hindrance at any chosen moment.

(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: europe; europejihad; isissleepers; islamicstate; sleepercells; sleeperscell

1 posted on 04/25/2016 12:25:17 PM PDT by StCloudMoose
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To: StCloudMoose
According to the former IS fighters, they are made up of men who aren't on any watch lists. This enables IS to elude the vulnerability suffered by many based in Europe -- namely that they are known terrorists.

KNOWN terrorists? And they're running around loose? Hey, Europe, you can't fix stupid!

2 posted on 04/25/2016 12:30:10 PM PDT by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever! Build the Wall, NOW!)
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To: StCloudMoose

So they continue to bring in another million or so bearded savages; give them phones, money, food, and an apartment; let them breed; let them hang around all day and go to their indoctrination centers where they learn how evil those Europeans are who give them phones, money, food and an apartment.


3 posted on 04/25/2016 12:36:33 PM PDT by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.)
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To: StCloudMoose
The biographies of many terrorists are very similar:

Allow me to finish. "They are muslims and everyone thinks they are normal, regular guys. But they want to kill you."

4 posted on 04/25/2016 12:44:35 PM PDT by pepsi_junkie (ui)
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To: Travis McGee

Tet II Ping.


5 posted on 04/25/2016 12:50:40 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: pepsi_junkie

“They are muslims and everyone thinks they are normal, regular guys. But they want to kill you.”

Absolutely right!


6 posted on 04/25/2016 1:00:35 PM PDT by I want the USA back (The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it. Orwell.)
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To: StCloudMoose

It’s the same in the US - there can be little doubt.

The difference is that obama is recruiting them.


7 posted on 04/25/2016 4:19:44 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
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